Reliability Study of the Defense Mechanism Inventory

Abstract

Aims of this study are to replicate and elucidate reliability characteristics of the Defense Mechanism Inventory (Gleser & Ihilevich, 1969). College students (Men = 47, Women = 47) were administered the Defense Mechanism Inventory on two occasions separated by a 17-day interval. Whereas test-retest reliabilities for both the total and the women approximated the ranges reported by Gleser and Ihilevich (1969), the range of correlations for the men had a much lower limit. Significant sex differences were found on four of the five dimensions.